A Storm Within
by DemonShuriken
Summary: A storm strikes Tokyo one evening. Within the darkness of a blackout, a candle sparks memories once suppressed. L faces his past, with Light there to help. L/Light Shonen-Ai. Don't like? Don't read.


L/Light Shonen-Ai. No like, no read. I must once again credit my good friend, Tubular Fox, for editing this. If you are a fan of Inception and zombies, go read the fic she's currently working on, Justement, Je Regrette Les Zombies.

**Disclaimer:** No matter how much I want to, I will never own _Death Note_.

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The raging wind howled its nocturne as dark storm clouds gathered over the streets of Tokyo. The last rays of the setting sun were blocked by the black masses, casting long shadows down the emptying streets. Light stood beside the window, gazing at the approaching storm that threatened to attack any moment. Thunder rumbled, growing louder by the minute, like a drumming band building to a crescendo. The chain that linked Light and L rattled as the detective joined him, after clicking on the lamp.

"Seems to me like it's going to be a bad storm," L said, shoving his hands in his pockets. His dark irises nonchalantly stared at the clouds while the city grew darker with each second, the sun sinking below the horizon as the storm continued to move in.

"Yeah." With a fond smile, Light turned away from the window and wandered over to the couch, sitting with a sigh. L followed suit as the first of the lightning began to flash, looking away before it could sear colored shadows into the dark behind his eyelids.

"Storms are interesting, aren't they," he said conversationally, as the wind continued to bellow its melody into the night. Light nodded in agreement.

"Mhm, but Sayu wouldn't agree." He laughed gingerly, gaze flicking momentarily back to the window as the rain violently began to fall. "She got stuck outside in a storm once and has never liked them since. It was funny-when she was finally able to get inside, she was pouting and soaking wet. She looked like an angry frog or something."

L cracked a smile. "How old was she?"

"About five, maybe six. The best part is: when my dad came home that evening, Sayu was ranting about storms in general and she flat out said, "Fuck storms." The looks on my parents faces? Priceless."

Light suppressed his laughter to a chuckle, while L hardly laughed at all. Instead, the detective was more concerned about the strength of the storm. The rain surged from the sky, coating the streets with puddles that grew in diameter by the moment.

"There is a 10% chance that we may loose-" L stopped for a moment as the lights and the neon signs of the city suddenly ceased to shine, "-power."

"Oh yay, no power," the ever sarcastic Light said. It was near impossible to see in their apartment since the clouds blocked out any chance for natural light. The only reason the two knew that they were near each other was due to the chain between them. Then, a bright flash lit up the area for a brief moment, followed by a tremendous crash of thunder. Light heard the chain shift, like a small bell's chime, as L was briefly startled. With the darkness surrounding them, Light was unable to see the fear that lurked in those eyes, as dark as the storm clouds. Light sighed.

"Don't we have flashlights?"

"Somewhere," L answered vaguely.

"Aren't you helpful."

For seeming lack of anything better to do, the investigator stood and began to walk, tugging Light along against his will. A stroke of good fortune allowed them to find the kitchen without running into anything. There, they discovered one of the candles Misa Amane had brought at one point, while visiting. It was no surprise that it was left there; its absence unnoticed by the ditsy woman. L's memory allowed him to easily locate the box of matches that rested in the top drawer of the counter nearest the sink. A small flame erupted from the match as it was struck. The fire was transferred to the deep, gothic red candle, with specks of black swirled into the wax. The two could now see each other's faces very clearly. They set the candle on a small plate and sat on the kitchen floor, the candle between them.

The thunder and lightning continued to dance around them and their small source of light. Rain pelted the windows as the wind whipped through the sky. With each flash of lightning, Light could see within the dark irises across from him a memory creeping into the mind of the detective. L glanced nervously out the windows with each roll of the ever-nearing thunder.

"L, is something wrong?" Light asked.

"Nothing, Yagami-kun. Why would you think that?" L asked, clearly masking his hidden thoughts.

"Because every time there's some lightning or some thunder, you look like you're about ready to run and hide," he replied in a matter-of-fact way.

"If you're wondering if I'm afraid of storms, I'm not." L shifted his gaze from the red-brown eyes across from him to the small, flickering flame.

"Ryuuzaki…you can tell me."

L's eyes snapped back up to gaze at Light. He had never heard such a comforting voice before. It seemed that he was choking on what he wanted to say. Would Light think him a fool for the memories he kept?

"I was found in a storm," L said, just barely above a whisper. He inhaled deeply, mustering the courage he had. "You know I was an orphan, and Watari found me. My parents had just died and I was alone walking in the streets, in England, when it started to storm. I was too young to remember my mother and my father. But, I was old enough to realize that I was alone, and there was no one around I could run too." L's gaze became very distant, as the movie reel of memories started to play in his mind. "Watari found me, and sheltered me with an umbrella before bringing me to the orphanage. However, there was poor weather there as well, and the power went out, much like this. I was alone, in the dark, with just a candle for light and comfort…" L reached out and let the tips of his fingers play with the flame. The fire teased him, moving towards his fingers only to dance away at the last second.

"And here I was talking about Sayu, and my family," Light muttered.

"I actually enjoyed your story about your sister," L replied.

"Yeah, but you were remembering the orphanage while I was reminiscing about having a family…had I known, I wouldn't have brought it up."

"It's not your fault for not knowing. Besides, it's a stupid, irrational memory anyway."

"Ryuuzaki, no memory is irrational. Memories and experiences like that make us who we are."

Light moved the candle aside and covered L's fingertips with his own. The little warmth that the fire had haunted him with now was cold compared to the heat that emanated from Light's touch. The storm outside seemed to dull to a quiet symphony as their hands intertwined. A soft, thoughtful smile appeared on L's face as his dark irises met Light's soft brown over the forgotten candle flame.

L did not need the candle for comfort. No, he had found the warmth he had sought. He had found his Light.

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I hope you enjoyed. Reviews are always welcome. (L wants you to review)


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